Employing People

"If you can't do it, don't go. Just stay here obediently!"

Zheng Shi was just saying that on purpose; she knew her stepdaughter wouldn't actually do it, and she smiled to herself.

It's not her fault for not giving her a stepmother; it's because she herself lacked the ability.

Looking at his own daughter, who was over there studying poetry with the young lady from the Zhao Residence, he was overjoyed.

"As expected of my daughter..."

Of course, it's outstanding!

Little did she know that Lin Yunjiao having a headache.

Her mother urged her to come and compose a poem so that she could make an impression on Madam Zhao and hopefully it would reach the ears of the Prince. She did go, but she was very annoyed.

"Why is it so difficult to do!"

Lin Yunjiao really wanted to throw a tantrum, but her maidservant persuaded her, "Second Miss, this is the Zhao Residence. Please don't throw your pen."

She quietly picked up the pen.

He muttered to himself, "Father is really something, why didn't he just bring it up directly with Lord Zhao and Madam Zhao..."

Madam Zhao had seen her before, and she knew that she was unmarried.

"So you want me to join these people in reciting poetry and lyrics?"

This is so annoying!

She hastily wrote a poem, and finally managed to endure until the banquet ended. As soon as Lin Yunjiao got into the carriage, she cried, "I never want to come again!"

"What's wrong, Jiao'er?"

Lin Yunjiao, "Your Prince, Prince Prince, Your Highness! I've called for Your Prince so many times, but I've never seen you even once!"

"It's always this Madam or that Young Madam, my back is about to break. And I have to write a poem today, I hate all this stuff!"

Zheng Shi said, "Didn't you do a good job?"

Lin Yunjiao her teeth. "If you come at me again, I'll smash my head against the wall and kill myself!"

I said it in anger, but I was really angry inside.

Zheng Shi's expression changed. She wanted to scold her for being spineless, but worried about upsetting her daughter, so she coaxed her, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't come next time."

She finally couldn't help but sigh, "How can you marry Prince like this?"

Lin Yunjiao lazy to speak. If marrying Prince was this troublesome, she wouldn't want to marry him at all.

When the carriage arrived at the Lin Residence, the mother and daughter remained silent until they reached the inner courtyard. Lin Yunjiao quickly ran back to her own Courtyard to rest.

Help me up, let's go for a walk.

Lin Yunjiao couldn't sleep, so she got dressed and went outside, asking, "Lin Yun Wan didn't go to the Old Madam's, did she?"

She was so bored that she wanted to go find her elder sister.

No matter what you need to do with her, you have to find her.

The maidservant helped her up, saying, "This servant doesn't know."

Lin Yunjiao went out and headed towards the Bixi Hall, where she unexpectedly ran into Wenhai again.

This time he didn't run away. He looked like he had just left her father's study, clutching his chest and muttering something to himself.

"Hey... Wen... Cousin."

Lin Yunjiao called out to him.

Wenhai turned around, his eyes wide. He wanted to run, but remembering what Lin Yunjiao had said, he didn't dare to run anymore. He awkwardly walked over and bowed, saying, "younger female cousin."

Lin Yunjiao looked at the things in his arms and asked, "What are you carrying?"

Wenhai frowned.

How dare this Second Miss speak to a man like that! He'd heard that even daughters of respectable families wouldn't dare to be so bold.

But he chickened out, lowering his head and saying, "N-nothing."

It was his article that he showed to his uncle for feedback. His uncle, though outwardly gentle, criticized the article as utterly worthless.

"I saw it all. Show it to me."

Lin Yunjiao.

Wenhai clutched his chest and said he wouldn't give it to him.

Lin Yunjiao laughed at him, "You did such a bad job that you're afraid to give it to me!"

Wenhai glared at her, then said, embarrassed and annoyed, "I did a great job! I'm not showing you!"

He was so angry that he stomped on her foot and ran away.

This Second Miss is so mean-spirited.

Lin Yunjiao was dumbfounded.

He stepped on me! How dare he step on me!

Wenhai was determined not to come to the backyard again, and the Second Miss could forget about scaring him with scissors again.

The next day, when Lin Yunwan went to pay her respects to Zheng Shi, she unexpectedly met Lin Yunjiao, Lin Yunjiao had arrived even before her.

"Madam."

Lin Yunwan curtsied. Wen Mu remained seated beside her, smiling as she looked at her, and said, "... I've heard that Eldest Miss is very good at drawing patterns. I have a pattern that I'm not satisfied with; Eldest Miss, why don't you come and draw one for me?"

Wen Mu had already taken out the flower pattern.

Lin Yunwan: "..."

Was Wen Mu trying to curry favor with her? Why was she asking her to help with chores? Who was really trying to please whom?

She refused outright. "Nanny Fan gave me homework. Maternal Aunt Wen, I can't help you today."

Wen Mu's face stiffened as she looked at Lin Yunwan's wrist and asked, "Why aren't you wearing the gold bracelet your maternal aunt gave you? Don't you like it?"

Lin Yunwan: "It's deformed, so it's inconvenient to wear."

Wen Mu's expression turned pale.

Lin Yunjiao even chimed in from the side, "Yeah, it's so light, how do you wear it?"

Wen Mu: "..."

Zheng Shi glared at her daughter. She had been very happy that her daughter had come to pay her respects today, but why was she so tactless?

She secretly pinched Lin Yunjiao and said, "It's your maternal aunt's idea, how can you talk to your maternal aunt like that?"

Lin Yunjiao was dissatisfied. What maternal aunt? She was just a down-on-her-luck woman.

She wouldn't even look at relatives like that.

"Madam, the Cousin Young Master has come to pay his respects."

Lin Yunjiao's eyes lit up immediately, and she no longer wanted to say anything sarcastic.

Zheng Shi said happily, "Quickly, invite him in."

Wenhai entered with his head down; he always kept his head down, not wanting to look at the women of the Lin Residence.

Especially when he heard the Second Miss's voice, he wanted to turn around and leave, but he was afraid his mother would scold him.

"Mother, maternal aunt Lin."

"We're all family, Wenhai, come and sit down!"

Wenhai sat down next to Zheng Shi, facing Lin Yunwan and Lin Yunjiao. He didn't dare to look up, only staring at his toes.

Lin Yunwan up and said, "Madam..."

She didn't want to stay any longer, and Zheng Shi and Lin Huabin, the couple, couldn't force her to marry Wenhai.

Zheng Shi didn't want her to leave, so she interrupted her, saying, "You've been learning from Nanny Fan for so many days, but no one has taught you how to manage a household. Don't rush off; come here and learn how to manage a household properly."

Standing nearby, Wen Mu said, "It's truly not easy for a stepmother to become like you. Yun Wan —this is your good fortune!"

Zheng Shi smiled with satisfaction.

She wants to hear these kinds of words, and it would be best if they were spread widely, so that people outside can say bad things about her!

Lin Yunwan chuckled inwardly. Even the worst opera troupe couldn't have performed such a clumsy excerpt.

She didn't expose him, and went along with it, saying, "I've heard the Old Madam and Nanny Fan say that the most important thing in managing a household is choosing the right people. I'd like to pick a capable person from the manor to assist me."

Zheng Shi dismissed all the maids and Matron from the Bixi Hall, but none of them were of any use.

Moreover, she wanted to find a maid with long arms to reach out to the outside world, to the Su Family, the maternal grandparents of Miss Lin.

Zheng Shi's face stiffened, and she said, "It's too early for you to be learning how to use people."

I never expected this stepdaughter to have such a big idea!

To think they could try to manipulate the personnel within the Lin Residence Inner Residence from the start—how wishful thinking!

Lin Yunjiao had no interest in listening to these things; she just wanted to see what Wenhai was doing sitting there.

But all I saw was that fool, who only dared to touch his own toes.

"What's so interesting about this...?"

She muttered.